Last.



CHARLES F. PYM, OF VINDSOR, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDIVIN O. KRENTLER AND GEORGE A.

MICHIGAN.

KRENTLER, OF DETROIT,

LAST.-

.SPEGIFICATIN forming part of Letters Patent N o. 673,889, dated May 14, 1901.. Apolication filed November 2l, 1898. Serial No. 696,977. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. PYM, a citizen of Canada, residing at Windsor, county of Essex, Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lasts; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specication.

This invention relates to lasts, and has for its object an improved form of last adapted especially to be used with line goods, and more especially with that class of goods known as turned work. However, its use is not restricted to that class of goods, as it may be used with any goods whatever.

In making shoes (especially of the tine class of goods) the upper preparatory to being lasted is laced in order that the instep port-ion of the shoe may be held rmly in position to the shape which is desired for the finished shoe. After lacing the last is inserted in the upper, and with lasts of ordinary construction there is a strain on that portion of the upper which lies directly below the instep at the waist between the instep and the bail of the foot. The last being thicker through vertically from the point of the instep to the sole than it is immediately in front of the instep, a last of ordinary con,- struction when forced into a shoe, especially at the second lasting, crowds and strains the upper and frequently produces a bulge or iinproper enlargement at the under part of the shoe at the hollow of the foot and strains the leather at the meeting edges of the lacingopening and at the instep. This is especially noticeable with turned work.

The last which forms the subject of this invention has for its leading feature a loose block so connected to the body of the last as to be retained thereto, yet so connected to the body of 'the last as to be adjustable or variable in vertical thickness, so that when inserted in the shoe it may have a narrow vertical thickness, thus being easily inserted,

5o and after insertion may be spread to the full thickness desired. So, also, after the lasting has been iinished and it is desired to withdraw the last the block is dropped and the last easily withdrawn. The last is of the form known as a broken or hinged last, in which the heel part is hinged to the toe part with a hinge connection of such form and arrangement that when the last is bent at the hinge its total length is shortened, thus permitting the last to be withdrawn from within a slice in which the back of the shoe draws in above the heel, as shoes are ordinarily constructed.

In the drawings, Figure l shows my improved last, in which the arrangement for vertical adjustment of the block with respect to the body of the last is produced by a link connection. Fig. 2 shows a form in which the arrangement to produce the adjustment is a cam and spring. Fig. 3 shows a slotted cam arrangement. Fig. 4 shows another form ol slotted cam arrangement.

In all of the forms the central idea consists in an arrangement to actuate the block so that the vertical distance from the top of the block to the bottom of the last may be varied.

A indicates the toe part of the body of the last. B indicates the heel part. The toe part and the heel patr are hinged together by a hinge-pin, so located that the distance alonga line passing from the toe through thehinge-pin to the rear of the heel isslightly longer than a broken line passing from the toe to the hinge-pin and from the hinge-pin to any other part below said center line--that is, the arc of curvature of the rear bounding-line (below said center lille) of a vertical section through the heel is of shorter radius than the distance from the hinge-pin to a point straight back through the hinge-pin from the toe, sothat when the last is bent on the hinge-pin its length over all shortens.

C indicates the block of the last. The toe part of the last has at its front lend for a distance back from the extreme point of the ltoe a gradually-increasing thickness and at a proper distance back from the point of the toe is abruptly out downward, and the upper part from the abrupt downcut is cut away to receive the block C. At the front end of IOO the cavity made to receive the block the toe part over-hangs the cavity somewhat, and the block is made with a corresponding point p to engage under the overhang h of the toe. The block is held by a pin passing through a vertical hole in the block and through a vertical hole in the body of the last. The pin is fixed in one part and loose in the other. As shown, the pin fis fixed in the vertical part of the last, andthe hole through the block is large enough to permit the block to be moved thereon somewhat in the way it would be moved if there were a hinge of ordinary construction connecting the block and the body of the last. A hinge of ordinary construction might be used in place of the form described, but would be more difficult and eX- pensive to make and no better. To that part of the hinge which is made fast to the heel part of the last is connected an actuating device, which may be in any one of the forms shown or in any one of several other forms which might be shown. It consists, essentially, ot' a part adapted to engage with the block and lift the block when the body of the last is straightened, so that the heel part takes its position with respect to the toe part for lasting purposes.

As shown in Fig. l, the lifting arrangement is a link a, connected to an eccentric pin b on the knuckle of the heel part of the hinge. The link a reaches to and connects with a pin con the block, and the movement of the heel part of the last with respect to the toe-part actuates t-he block to throw it upward when the last is straightened and to draw i-t downward wheny the lastis bent.

In Fig. 2 in place of the link ct there is a horn or prong d, which engages under the block of the last and lifts it when the last is straightened. When th'elastis bent', aspring f draws the partsy together, the spring being a draw-spring heldto the body of the last and to the block and arranged to be put under strain by the spreading of the one from the other. In this form there is a rubbing engagement between the end of the horn dand tlreblock, and a plate of metal d is secu-red to the block in a position to engage the end of the horn and prevent injury'from too-rapid wear.

In the form shownin Fig. 3` api-ong or horn, similar in character tothe form el, extends up i-nto'aslot in tl-re block and is itself provided with a slot through whichI engages a pin k. When the last is bent at the hinge, the walls ofthe slot j force the block to move correspondingly.

hinge closes the block down towardy the body of the last. The straightening of it throws Thebending of the last at. the

the block up. In the form shown in Fig. l the same construction is employed, except that the slot is curved instead of straight, the results being substantially the same as the results attained by the use of the device shown in Fig. 3, except that the movement of the block to and from the body of the last is not constant during the entire movement of the heel part. During the first of the closing movement of the heel toward the toe the block C closes toward the body of the last; but as soon as the pin 7c enters that part of the slot which is concentric with the hinge-pin the block ceases to be actuated, but is held from opening out from the body part of the last.

In all the forms employed the united thickness from the instep to the hollow ofthe foot through the block and the body part of the last is less than that which is necessaryto iill out the shoe which is to be made on the last, and when in use for lasting purposes in its distended form there always interve-nes between the two au open space in which `the block may sink, either when the last is inserted in the shoe or when it is withdrawn therefrom.

What I claim isl. In a last made with a toe partand a heel part hinged together, a block movably held in the cavity of the toe part, and means actuated by the movement of the heel part for producing movement of the block, substantially as described.

A hinged follower, comprising a heel-section, a sectional distensible fore part, a hinge connecting the fore' part to the heel part, and means for contracting the fore part in a vertical direction as the heel-section is thrown upward.

3. A hin-ged follower, comprising a heel part,.a horizontal-ly-divided fore part, and means for` contracting the fore part by the upward movement of the heel part.

4. In combination with a hinged last, a block movably held to the toe part of thela-st, and a link connection` betweenv the block and the heel partwhereby the bending of the last actuates the'block,substantially as described.

5.- A hln-ged follower comprising a heel-section', a. fore-part section having a distensible portion, a hinge connection between. the sect'o-ns, and means for distending thedristensible portion as thefheel-section is thrown backward.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification. inthe presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES F- PYM'.

Witnesses:

CHARLES BURTON, MARION A. Rnnvn.

IOO

IIO 

